Jesus the King Life Group Study Guide - Leaders Week of March 8 th Chapter 10 - The Mountain Mark 9:2-29

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1 Jesus the King Life Group Study Guide - Leaders Week of March 8 th Chapter 10 - The Mountain Mark 9:2-29 Introduction We saw that the very minute Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah (8:29), Jesus immediately began to teach, Yes, but I am the Messiah who has come to be murdered. Peter rebukes him (8:31-32), so it is clear that only relentless teaching on Jesus part is going to make any dent in the prejudices of the disciples. Now we are in the second half of Mark, and the contrast with the first half is already evident. Jesus now constantly speaks of his death and suffering, and he does it in ways that the disciples find extremely hard to swallow. This passage begins to answer the questions about the nature of Christ s life and the reasons that the Messiah has to die. Jesus was transfigured before them (verse 2) meaning that the Transfiguration was for his disciples benefit, designed to teach them about his person and work. Therefore, we have to ask what does the transfiguration teach us? Discussion Questions 1. Read verses 2-8. What does the supernatural brightness of Jesus (verses 3-4) and the descent of a cloud (verse 7) tell us about Jesus person and work? (Remember the cloud and bright light in the book of Exodus.) a) First, the glory of Jesus (v.3-4) and the cloud (v.7) tell us that Jesus is not simply a great man, but Deity himself. When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, he gathered them at Sinai to enter into a relationship with them. He descended on Mt. Sinai in a cloud of glory (Exodus 19). Then he called the elders of Israel to come up into the mountain, where we read: and the elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel, and there was under his feet a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. They beheld God, and they ate and drank. (v. 10). This was a revelation of the glory of God which was astonishing. Immediately after that, God had them build the tabernacle (tent) where his presence could dwell in their midst. The presence of God was represented by a glory-cloud that resided in the Holy of Holies, called the shekinah. The transfiguration is clearly a parallel incident to what happened in Exodus. Jesus has just announced his death and mission (Mark 8:31). Now he calls his disciples up into a mountain, and the glory-cloud appears before them, just as it did on Sinai. But the differences are remarkable. Moses face shone when he came down from the Mount because he reflected some of God s glory (Exodus 34:29-30). But Mark tells us the dazzling glory emanates out from Jesus. His clothes became dazzling white, a brilliance that no human power could produce (v. 4). The reference to a brilliance that no one in the world could

2 produce shows that this glory is divine. This is a stupendous claim. Jesus is revealed to be the very glory of God (cf. Hebrews 1:3). b) But second, the disciples sight of Jesus glory (v. 2-3) shows us he is not only God himself, but he is the way to approach the unapproachable glory of God. Moses had thirsted greatly to see the glory of God, but the Lord refused, because sinful human beings could not bear the presence of the Holy One (Exodus 33:18ff; cf. Isaiah 6). But here the disciples (and Moses and Elijah) see the glory of God. Jesus, as it were, is the new tabernacle, through whom we experience the very presence of God that Moses was denied. Mark says here implicitly what John says explicitly when he writes (obviously recalling the Transfiguration itself) The word became flesh and tabernacle among us and we beheld his glory. (John 1:14). John uses the word tabernacled in Greek which literally means pitched his tent. We see in the text that Peter tries to build Moses, Elijah, and Jesus tents ( tabernacles ) (Mark 9:5) as well. Why? They realized that Jesus was being revealed as the glory of God. (cf. Peter s remembrance of the Transfiguration: We were with him on the mountain! and the voice came out of the Majestic Glory 2 Peter 1:16-18.) Let s summarize. Most human beings have known that there is a God behind the universe, and also that there is a gap or chasm of some kind that cuts us off from God. Therefore, many religions had temples, in which the presence of the divine was mediated in some way (through priests or rituals or sacrifices or transformations of consciousnesses, etc.). But here on the mount we learn that not only is Jesus the God on the other side of the gap, but he is the bridge over the gap. He is not only the God we need, but the Mediator, the way to come into the presence of the Holy and the Glory. 2. Refer to verses What does the presence of Moses and Elijah and the voice from the cloud tell us about Jesus person and work? The presence of Moses and Elijah (v. 4) and the voice from the cloud (v. 7) tell us that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). Moses represents the Law of God, and Elijah represents the Prophets. All the threads of previous salvation hopes converge on him. Both Moses (Exod 31:18; 33:18ff) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8) had visions of the glory of God on mountains. But here they speak to the dazzling Jesus a strong indication that Jesus is really the one to whom all their experience and revelation pointed. First, see how Jesus fulfills all the strains of prophecy. The voice from the cloud, just as at Jesus baptism (Mark 1:11) mingles the predictions of the divine Son from heaven (Psalm 2:7 you are my son ) with the prediction of the suffering servant (Isaiah 42:1 in whom my soul delights ). The Old Testament predicts the coming both of a powerful divine King (see Isaiah 1-39) and a Suffering Servant (see Isaiah 40-55). Jesus fulfills all these strains of prophecy. They converge upon him. For example, he will be God, Isaiah 9:6; yet will suffer, Isaiah 53. How could both be true? Jesus shows how they can both be true of one person. Note: Also compare Daniel 7 (which talks of the Son of Man who will return from heaven with God s kingdom).

3 Daniel 7:9 describes the Son of Man as having dazzling white clothes, like Jesus had in the transfiguration (v. 3). Second, Jesus not only fulfills the prophets, he also fulfills all of the Mosaic revelation of the Law. On the one hand, he fulfills the law by obeying it perfectly. On the other hand he fulfills all the tabernacle service, for he is the sacrifice, the priest, and the house of God himself. How can God be completely holy and still accept and save his flawed and wayward people? The answer is that Jesus is not only the perfectly glorious and holy God, but also the one who offers himself as a sacrifice to cleanse us and bring us to God. Only years later did Peter get how much was being shown to him on the mount of transfiguration. Jesus resolves the tensions implicit in the Old Testament revelation. How can God be both holy and yet gracious? How can the Messiah be both God yet a Suffering Servant? Peter remembers this lesson extremely well, for he writes, Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. (I Peter 1:10-11). 3. Refer to verses 2-8. Why does the voice from the cloud add Listen to Him!? What do we learn from this? As we already mentioned, Jesus is being shown to be the prophet, the priest, and the king that all other prophets, priests, and kings pointed to. That is why, though Moses and Elijah were great revealers of God, the voice says, listen to Him. He is the greatest of all. As we have continually seen, the disciples are very, very slow to understand the gospel. They have a grid for how God s salvation will work. It consists of some of the following principles: a) God will send a liberator who will be a powerful ruler, and b) if I am worthy and faithful to him, he will put me into a place of power in his new administration. No matter what he tells them, they listen to it through this grid. They discard or simply miss whatever Jesus says that doesn t fit into it. They are not truly listening to him. The Transfiguration itself is an amazing literally dazzling effort to break through their grids so they can truly hear what he is saying to them. Therefore, to believe and follow Christ, we must be good listeners. 1) On the one hand, this means that Jesus has intellectual authority over us. (This is not a popular notion in Western culture today!) He does not have authority only over what we do, but also over what we think and believe. Remember, the context of the transfiguration is Peter s rebuke of Jesus (in Mark 8:32). Jesus Messiahship does not conform to Peter s ideas. But the transfiguration shows we must submit our thought forms to the ultimate revealer of truth. 2) On the other hand, this means that we must not think we have truly listened to Jesus just because we ve acknowledged the principle of his authority. Peter and the other disciples had signed on as followers of Christ, but they still didn t really hear and understand what he was saying. Therefore we must not just agree that his Word is authoritative, but we must patiently study and listen to his teaching, always assuming that we are not getting it all.

4 4. Why do you think the transfiguration occurs right after Jesus first teachings on his death? Why is this not just important for the disciples but for us? Jesus insists that he is going to be rejected, defeated, tortured and killed. The apostles are confused and angry with such an assertion. Why? Because they cannot square this agenda with their ideas of greatness and glory. The transfiguration is a powerful demonstration that Christ s glory is even greater than they imagine, yet it is hidden and different from what they imagine as well. The transfiguration points to the fact that, despite outward appearances, the person and work of Jesus is glorious. Despite the fact that he is not seeking political and military power, he is going about (for those with eyes to see it) the real kingly campaign. This means that, properly understood, the rejection and death of the Messiah is really the highest triumph possible. His death defeats death and sin. His death is a glorious victory. This is why, just before he dies, Jesus says, the hour is come for the Son of Man to be glorified (John 12:23). The death of Jesus is not a denial or an absence of glory. Indeed, his death is the very apex of it. Why did the disciples need the message so much? Because over and over they were in a condition in which their Lord and cause looked like it was utterly defeated. At that moment, it was hard for the disciples to imagine their poor, humble, weak, wandering mentor as the one who returns to judge with glory and angelic hosts! And later, when he was captured and killed, it was impossible for them to imagine his future greatness. The Transfiguration was, in a sense, a brief lifting of the veil of ordinariness to give a glimpse of the incredible power and glory underneath all the suffering and service and death. We need this as much as the disciples. We are constantly in situations in which the gospel and the Lord do not seem to be succeeding. Prayers are not answered, people are not believing, we are not growing. Yet the Transfiguration remains a brief peek under the veil of the ordinariness and difficulties of our lives. It says, despite how it looks on the surface, Jesus is working in your life and in the history of the world. The kingdom is here now to do great things, and it will eventually triumph through all our trials and troubles. 5. In verses 11-13, what does Jesus mean in his reference to Elijah? What is Jesus trying to teach them in this reference? Notice that after the vision on the mountain, the disciples ask about Elijah, but not Moses. Why would that be? Because of Malachi 4:5, it was widely expected by the Jews that Elijah would return just before the coming of the Messiah. When the disciples saw Elijah, there was great excitement. Was this the sign signaling the revealing of the Messiah? So they ask Jesus about it. There may be an even deeper reason for the question. Many experts in the Scriptures believed that Elijah would return and restore all things (Mark 9:12) before the Messiah came. In other words, he would bring about a state of justice and true worship in the land. How, then, does that fit in with Jesus teaching that the Messiah would be rejected and suffer and be killed by the

5 religious leaders? (8:31). If Elijah is going to bring in the peace of the kingdom, why would the Messiah come and suffer? Jesus agrees that the teachers of the law are right that Elijah will come to restore all things but he then says (v. 13) but. Another fact must be taken into account. He says, Elijah did come to do that very thing, but they did to him everything they wished. This makes it clear that Elijah was John the Baptist. (Mark had mentioned in 6:15 that many people thought John was the figure of Malachi 4:5.) He says that Elijah has already come, but that he has been mistreated and murdered ( everything they wished. v. 13). In other words, Jesus says: Yes, John-Elijah came back to restore things, but the resistance to him was enormous and he has suffered and been killed. The implication is so why shouldn t I suffer and be killed? Jesus is doing two things here. On the one hand, he is trying to revise their understanding of the coming of the kingdom. As we have seen, the people of that time thought that the Messiah would come once and then the old age would end and the kingdom-era would begin. But Jesus shows us that the Messiah comes twice the first time in weakness and suffering, and the second time in power and glory. Thus the kingdom of God has begun with all its life-giving power, and yet coexists with the sin, injustice, and death of this world, until the King comes back the final time to finally and completely restore all things. Jesus is revising their understanding of the coming of the kingdom. The forerunner has come, and the Messiah is here but they both came to suffer and die. On the other hand, this is simply another opportunity for Jesus to revise the apostle s understanding of glory, greatness, and the Messiah s career. By showing that Elijah has suffered and been rejected, that foretells that the Messiah he introduces must suffer and be rejected (v. 12). So Jesus continues to show the disciples that his way (and the way of anyone who identifies with him) is the way of humility, service, and sacrifice. 6. Read verses What do you think is the main point of this miracle? How do we know? Why does Mark put this story here, sandwiched between two passages on how the Messiah has to die (8:31-9:13 and 9:30-32)? a) This is just a continuation of Jesus educational program for the disciples. In many ways it is no different than the learning objective of the Transfiguration. Jesus uses this opportunity to again teach the disciples that the way of Christ and the kingdom is the way of the cross of humility and service. The disciples continue to show a know it all attitude. His teaching concerning his death is insulting and confusing and they resist it. They are interested in power and popularity and acclaim and success. The disciples tried prayer-less exorcism for the same reason that they couldn t understand why Jesus had to die they didn t see how weak and sinful they were. They underestimated the power of evil in the world and in themselves. Here Jesus has another chance to show them that real power comes through humble dependence. b) Perhaps Mark is also using the story to point out the depth of evil and sin in general and the need for Jesus death. The boy is a picture of the human race we are spiritually possessed by evil, blind and deaf. (This goes against the grain of our popular culture s view of human nature. Movie after movie shows that we are capable of great heroic actions and can save ourselves

6 along with a little bit of magical help.) But this story shows us that we are completely unable to help ourselves. Therefore it would have been useless for God to simply send a teacher or an moral example to earth. We do not need to be taught we need to be saved. That is why Jesus had to come not as a Teacher primarily, but as a Savior. He had to die. He had to do something about our sin. Note: Some commentators notice that, when Moses comes off Mt. Sinai after seeing God, he finds the people worshipping the golden calf. In the same way, Jesus and the disciples come off of the mountain into confusion and evil. It may be that the parallel is intentional, to continue to show how Jesus is the Lord of Sinai and the new Moses come to deliver us. But also it could just be instructive to us in the most practical way possible. Mountaintop experiences don t last! They have just been literally on the top of the world, full of glorious assurance that Jesus is the Lord of Glory. They had worshipped with a sense of spiritual reality beyond which it is impossible to go in this life. Yet immediately they are plunged into a problem and confusion. Remember that no matter how strong is our walk with Jesus, there will be many times of darkness and misery while this world continues. 7. From verses 19 and 23, what does Jesus see as the basic problem of all who are involved? Why does Jesus speak so sharply to the disciples? Why can t they handle the situation? There is much detail given about the boy s condition. We are told the demon s aim was to kill him (v. 22). The demon makes him deaf and mute and causes convulsions. It was an overwhelming condition both physical and spiritual. It made not only the victim helpless, but it stymied everyone around him his father, the disciples, and the teachers of the law. Jesus is waiting for someone to admit helplessness and be humble. On the one hand, the disciples were so proud of their power that they hadn t even prayed before trying to heal! (v. 29) That shows a superstitious view of power and a lot of pride. On the other hand, the teachers of the law were there arguing, trying to pontificate about what it all meant (v. 14). The only person that begins to show humility and acknowledge helplessness is the father of the boy. It is not until the father admits his unbelief and lack of faith that Jesus begins to work. Jesus jumps on the father s statement if you can, and presses him to admit his lack of faith. He does, saying, I do believe, yet I am full of unbelief. Then and only then is the power of Jesus released. In summary, all the parties were evidencing unbelief because of pride. Dick Lucas writes about this passage, The disciples had been tempted to believe that the gift they had received from Jesus (in 6:7) was in their control and could be exercised at their disposal. This was a subtle form of unbelief, for it encouraged them to trust in themselves rather than in God To refer to them as an unbelieving generation means that they are indistinguishable from unregenerate men In the end, it is this subtle over-confidence and blindness to the depths of evil that is the reason no one can see the need for Jesus to die. The apostles don t realize how sinful they were and so they think that just to follow Christ s example and his teaching is enough. So it has always been. People who find the idea of the cross offensive or irrelevant have never seen the power of evil in themselves nor in the world. They are superficial, undiscerning. The radical measure of the cross doesn t seem necessary.

7 The very idea of the cross is offensive and insulting. It means that you are so wicked, only the death of the Son of God can save us. 8. What do we learn about faith from this passage? About prayer? a) About faith. When the boy s father admits that his faith is partial and incomplete, Jesus begins to work. That proves: That faith is NOT a feeling of complete certainty. Jesus shows that faith is NOT primarily the absence of doubts and fears. Rather, faith is committing to and obeying Jesus despite your doubts and fears. Many churches teach that faith is perfect psychological certainty. This leads people into a great deal of pain and confusion. Many people think that they have not gotten answers to prayer because they did not have enough faith. This leads a person to have faith in faith instead of faith in Christ. It makes you think that Christ won t hear you until your faith is in a certain condition. That shifts the emphasis from Christ to the condition of your faith as that which helps you. The effect would be like staring at a windshield instead of through a windshield. The result will be an auto accident! A windshield does not have to be perfect to show you the road; your faith doesn t have to be perfect to grab hold of Jesus. The admission of a lack of faith is the beginning of faith. Jesus begins to act as soon as the father admits his doubts. But the confession to Jesus shows loyalty and trust in him, and the commitment of his son to Jesus does the same. This is crucial to understand. A righteous person in God s sight is the one who admits he/she has no righteousness and comes to Christ. Jesus is saying, if you say you see, you re blind; but if you say you re blind, you see. cf. Mark 8: Faith therefore grows through commitment. Obviously, the father s faith, though weak, as he trusted in Christ, quickly got stronger as he watched the Lord work. In the same way, we cannot expect certainty before we commit. To demand that is unreasonable. In other areas of life it is the same. (You can t be sure you are hiring the right person until you ve hired him/her and tried them out.) Faith and certainty grows in and through the acts of commitment and obedience. It cannot be worked up before. So, usually, God wants us to believe before we see i.e. we have to make some commitment and do some trusting before we can experience certainty. For skeptics, this means that the best way to learn faith is to try on Christianity like a pair of glasses to look at life through it and see its coherence. Some commitment and trust is necessary preceding the growth of faith. Jesus is gentle and generous with incomplete faith. Notice that Jesus does not wait for our faith to be perfect. He challenges us to complete faith, but works with us where we are. b) About prayer. The power of prayer is obviously not in the eloquence, but in the helplessness. Helplessness connects you to Christ; pride disconnects you. The prayer Jesus was telling the disciples they needed was the kind of prayer that the boy s father made to him (v. 24). Do we pray like that? What is the nature of that prayer? It is 1) honest, 2) helpless, 3) hopeful, 4) specific, 5) passionate.

8 Summary Who Jesus is: Jesus is the Son of Man referred to in Daniel 7. He is the Ancient of Days, the Son of God, whom God the Father loves. He is the Messiah, who must be preceded by Elijah (Malachi 4) and to whom the Old Testament points. Why Jesus Came: We already know, from 8:31, that he says he must die. Why must he die? Mark 9:2-13 answers in terms of God s will. It is God the Father s plan to reconcile sinners to himself. Mark 9:9-29 gives the beginning of an answer in terms of man s need. No mere human can break Satan s power to deafen, dehumanize and ultimately kill mankind. How should I respond? We should listen to the apostolic teaching of the cross. We cannot listen to Jesus in the sense that the disciples did. But we can listen with confidence to Scripture, which is the written account of what Jesus said.